[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/12/art.mittsteele.gi.jpg caption="The Romney camp fired back at Steele's comments."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - In an unusual move for the person tasked with being his party's top cheerleader, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele is shining a light on the political vulnerabilities of one of the GOP's top figures and a likely frontrunner for the 2012 Republican nomination - former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Now Romney's team is hitting back.
Steele, guest-hosting on Bill Bennett's radio show Friday, cast doubt on Romney's conservative bona fides and blamed the Republican base for rejecting Romney last year because "it had issues with Mormonism" and was unsure of Romney's commitment to opposing to abortion rights. Those comments aren't sitting too well with Romney's political team.
"Sometimes when you shoot from the hip, you miss the target," said Romney spokesman Eric Ferhnstrom. "This is one of those times."
A Romney aide noted that the former Massachusetts governor won the Conservative Political Action Conference's annual straw poll the past three years, won 11 presidential primaries and caucuses, and earned 4.2 million votes by the time he left the race in February of last year.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2008/POLITICS/04/24/north.carolina.primary/art.clinton.nc.gi.jpg caption=" Sen. Hillary Clinton won big in Pennsylvania, but North Carolina could prove to be tough territory."]WASHINGTON (CNN) - Hillary Clinton emerged from Tuesday's contest in Pennsylvania with a big symbolic victory and a net gain of about a dozen pledged delegates. But those spoils could vanish on May 6 in North Carolina, a delegate-rich contest with a plethora of natural advantages for Barack Obama.
Obama owes his victories throughout the Democratic nomination battle to African-Americans, young voters, upscale whites and independent voters.
In North Carolina, those voters come in bunches, and their ranks are growing.
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[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/04/11/art.clintoncrime.ap.jpg caption="Clinton unveiled a new crime fighting plan Friday."]PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (CNN) - On the face of things, with its sizeable African-American population, Philadelphia looks to be friendly territory for Barack Obama by the time the Pennsylvania primary rolls around on April 22.
But Hillary Clinton is making a push Friday for the urban vote, holding two policy-oriented events in the city to spotlight the twin issues of crime and the economy.
Appearing at a YMCA in west Philadelphia this morning with Mayor Michael Nutter, who yesterday signed into law a series of controversial anti-gun measures, Clinton unveiled a plan to cut the national murder rate in half.
Introducing Clinton, Nutter urged the federal government to provide more assistance to mayors around the country working to put ex-offenders back to work and protect families from violent crime
“Here in west Philadelphia, we’re worried more about Al Gangsta than al Qaeda,” Nutter joked. “Osama bin laden and some of those other folks couldn’t last five minutes in west Philadelphia.”
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/04/09/art.clintonbill.ap.jpg caption=" Clinton campaigned in Pittsburgh Wednesday."]
(CNN) - Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she has long disagreed with her husband on issues of free trade.
"I have a long record of being on a different attitude toward trade than my husband does," she said in Pittsburgh. "I don't think any married couple I know agrees on everything. And we disagree on this."
Bill Clinton has indicated in the past he supports free trade with Colombia. The New York senator is now sharply critical of the measure and said she will work to see it is not authorized by Congress.
Asked Wednesday if she had talked about this issue with her husband, she said "we talk about everything."
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